Blood Of The Vines: The Pom Pom Girls

Wine Goes To The Movies With 
Now And Zin and Trailers From Hell


There is something quaintly American about cheerleaders.  There is also something quaintly American about baseball, apple pie and white Zinfandel.  This time, we’re hangin’ with “The Pom Pom Girls.”


All-American girls in bikinis at the beach, practicing their cheers while showing their rears. Roll ‘em, aaaaand - that’s a wrap! What more do you need from a summertime movie?  Plots play over the holidays.


That type of scene might make you think this sexploitation chuckler should have been titled “The Butt Pom Girls.”  That probably got discussed sometime before the movie was released.  There does seem to be a scarcity of actual pom poms, at least in the trailer.  That’s OK, though, because those things cover up so much when the gals are holding them.  I’m sure that was probably an agenda point at a pre-production meeting, too.  “Wait - how about if they throw the pom poms on the ground!”  “Brilliant!”


In her commentary on the movie, Katt Shea says there’s an “American Graffiti feeling” to “The Pom Pom Girls.”  While fans of one probably wouldn’t trade for the other, both films do have an endearing way of showing the innocence of youth.  One has a more serious side, while the other has a nice backside.  Comparing the two is rather like comparing Zinfandel and white Zin.  Both have their moments, but...


“The Pom Pom Girls” isn’t too bad, for a movie about cheerleaders.  It could have been better.  It could have been “Bring It On.”  It also could have been worse.  It could have been about the marching band.


Levity aside, I’m told there is actually a difference between pom pom girls and cheerleaders.  The way I hear it, cheerleaders do simple, repetitive “cheer motions” while pom pom girls are more artful and employ more freestyle actions in their performances.  I had the feeling that explanation came from a pom pom girl.  A former cheerleader confirmed that, while extolling the athleticism of her crew. It's a Hatfield/McCoy thing between cheerleaders and pom pom girls. At any rate, once the pom poms hit the ground, your assets are on display and the spirit stick is passed.


We could hit it and quit it by going with Pom Pom Wine - pom-pom-pomegranates, that is.  While it’s tempting to put our hands in the hands of the man who turned the water into wine - what a great miracle huh? - we’ll make Galilee a side trip on the way to Italy. 


That’s where we find pomace brandy - the Italian version is known as grappa.  In a pomace brandy, the skins, pulp, seeds and stems leftover from traditional winemaking are fermented and distilled on their own, producing a substance which is anywhere from 70 to 120 proof.  Nardini makes an esteemed grappa using the pomace of grapes from the Friuli and Veneto regions.  


Pom Pom wine is a shallow bottle:


Wine Opener Cheerleader - How many bottles of wine had that opener opened before the video was made?  I’m guessing one bottle of white Zin.


Holy-Field Winery Dog - An awesomely cute dog, and a Rock-Chalk-Jayhawk blue wine bottle from Kansas.


Cheerwine - I confess, this one is not even wine.  It’s a soda nobody knows about.  But, it’s cheering.  Must be some pom poms in there somewhere.




Follow Randy Fuller on Twitter


Follow Trailers From Hell on Twitter